Experiencing the True Soul of a City

Michael Maedel is Asia Pacific chairman of JWT, the advertising agency based in New York.

The 62-year-old Singapore-based Austrian spoke to the Journal about quirky hotels, racing cars and Viennese cafes.

JWT

Michael Maedel

How often do you travel?

On average, I make at least one round trip every week. That’s 60 or 70 trips per year to mainly Asia-Pacific countries, but to the U.S. as well.

I mostly go to India, China, Japan and Bangkok, and in the U.S., it’s New York. But I do go to smaller markets, as I make an effort to see every regional office we have at least once every 18 months. We have offices in interesting places like Nepal, Myanmar and Sri Lanka.

Favorite hotel?

Dwarika’s in Katmandu is a fabulous place that’s owned by a family. The gentleman who started it kicked off by collecting antique wooden door and window frames and building the entire hotel around his collection. It gives you a very good sense of Nepalese culture and traditions. The Governor’s Residence in Yangon is an oasis in a very exciting city.

Favorite airport?

For functionality, it’s very difficult to beat Changi [Singapore]. It’s probably the most efficiently run airport I’ve ever come across, and the people who run it should be given the job of running airports in the U.S., which are a horrible experience.

What do you look for in a frequent-flier lounge?

I want peace and space so I can just relax, so it shouldn’t be too crowded or noisy. Cathay’s Pier lounge in Hong Kong is very nice, and there are some good new ones from Lufthansa I’ve tried when I transited in Frankfurt.

Favorite carrier?

Travel for me is about getting from point A to B in the most efficient and relaxed way. The Japanese carriers, like ANA, and Lufthansa seem to deliver that. Hopefully Singapore Airlines will be up there again once they get rid of their horrible business-class seats. They are nice and wide, but the room for your legs is at an angle and you sit there in a twisted fashion.

Favorite airport-to-city journey?

There are some great places outside the big business centers. When you land in Luang Prabang [in Laos] and travel to the hotel, you immediately get a feel of the country.

For major cities, Singapore has a nice ride that’s green and lush because it’s not the usual trip through suburbs and industrial sites. And while it’s very long, the trip from Narita into Tokyo is nice too because you have the city growing in front of you.

I’m somewhat biased in this respect because I’m Austrian and the best coffee is still in Vienna. There is one place called Café Korb, which I’ve been going to since I was 14 or 15 and growing up there. It has a great coffee and a great environment to enjoy it in. Any place where you have the chance to experience the true soul of a city is something I find enjoyable.

Who’s doing a good job at travel advertising?

The risk of travel advertising is that it can feel like interchangeable wallpaper. People always feature the usual collage of beaches, historic monuments, some nice food shots and smiling people. I don’t think there’s enough emphasis on trying to define the essence of a country. It’s like with brands—there’s a core to it and the communication has to be true to what it stands for and offers.

However, I think the Incredible India campaign is good. They’ve managed to get this diversity of expressions a country consists of and link it in a very human way.

Where would you like to go next?

I plan to go to Bhutan this fall. It’s the one country in Asia where I haven’t been, and I’ve heard fabulous things about it. It would be more for pleasure though, as I haven’t found a reason why we would have an agency there.

This November, I’m taking part in the Vintage Cape Horn Rally, which is not a hard race but more like an ambitious drive from Buenos Aires up to Chile and then down to Ushuaia [in Argentina]. All the pictures I’ve seen show fantastic countryside and there’s the camaraderie you have because only people who enjoy cars and driving will be there.

Worst travel experience?

Touch wood, there hasn’t been a really negative one. The most memorable was when I was a student coming back to Vienna from my first trip to the U.S. The plane landed in Zurich and the leg from Zurich to Vienna was with Aeroflot. The plane took off and had just reached cruising altitude when I felt the pilot taking power out of the engine and the plane started to sink when we were across the Alps. Then he accelerated and went up again. We were going up and down all the way from Zurich to Vienna. When I asked the stewardess what was going on, she said the pilot was saving petrol by gliding. This was the heyday of communism and that was their funny ideal of fuel efficiency.